Chapter 235 People who go with the flow
Xiao Zhuo spoke calmly, but Shen Yuexi was anxious.
Ji Zhong came to kill him, so why did he act as if nothing had happened?
Thinking back carefully, this man had always been like this, unmoved even when a mountain crumbled before his eyes. It was only after he learned his true identity that he nearly collapsed.
Now he has regained his composure, which shows that he has come out of the shadows.
She looked around and saw no ironware nearby, so she ran to the inn on the other side. There was a kitchen knife in the inn, and she thought that a pot would be enough.
When she ran to the door of Longsheng Inn, she suddenly stopped.
There were clearly other people's footprints on the ground.
Daybreak illuminated the footprints on the muddy ground, and she could clearly tell which were hers and which were Xiao Zhuo's. But there were two sets of footprints that looked completely different from the two. Judging by their size, they weren't women's, and they led directly into the inn.
Was it Qiang Lin? Or the secret guards who had escorted Mei Dai? The ones who had come with Ji Zhong to hunt them down? The bandits roaming around here?
There were too many possibilities, and Shen Yuexi was a little hesitant.
What she was sure of was that there were two men in the inn, but she couldn't tell if they were friends or enemies. Should she go back to Xiao Zhuo? She had always relied on him.
But Xiao Zhuo was about to have a decisive battle with his teacher, and she couldn't let him be distracted.
As he was hesitating, a man's voice rang out from inside the inn: "Come in, there's no ambush inside."
It was Song Zhen's voice.
Thinking that this person had surrendered to Xiao Beiheng, she was filled with rage and was about to question him.
She stretched out her hands, pushed open the door of the inn, and then took two steps back.
This was something he'd learned from the secret guard. Earlier, when she and Mei Dai were hiding behind a door and Mei Dai was about to stab the guard with a dagger, the guard had done just that. A normal person would have walked right through the door, but the guard had stepped back after opening it, creating a safe distance and rendering Mei Dai's attack ineffective.
There was no ambush behind the open door. Two people were sitting at a table in the inn lobby.
One is Qiang Lin, and the other is Song Zhen waving a feather fan.
"Qiang Lin!" Shen Yuexi shouted in surprise, ran two steps towards Qiang Lin, and then stopped.
She once thought that Qiang Lin had died in the battle, but unexpectedly he survived.
Qiang Lin leaned back in his chair, looking very weak. When he saw her, a smile appeared on his lips. His hands and feet were not bound, but he seemed unable to move.
"Song Zhen, what did you do to him?" She glared at Song Zhen angrily.
"It was just a little medicine," Song Zhen placed the fan on the table. "This kind of medicine can make a person weak all over. Xiao Kai also drank it, so His Royal Highness chopped off his head."
"Is Xiao Kai dead?" Shen Yuexi looked at Qiang Lin and received a confirming look from the latter.
Shen Yuexi heaved a sigh of relief. Xiao Kai had been abusing her sister, and now that he was dead, her sister could be free from suffering. However, her sister had been in Leshan before, and now she didn't know her whereabouts, and she felt a little worried.
"Why did you surrender to Xiao Beiheng?" She looked at Song Zhen, "You clearly swore allegiance to my husband."
Song Zhen smiled slightly: "Then you should remember what I said when I swore an oath. I am loyal to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Now Xiao Zhuo is no longer the Crown Prince. I have changed my allegiance to the real Crown Prince. What's wrong with that?"
He deliberately emphasized the four words "Your Highness the Crown Prince", and Shen Yuexi understood.
Song Zhen was not loyal to Xiao Zhuo as a person, but to his status as the Crown Prince. So, he really had done nothing wrong.
"The Prince of Qi is currently attacking the capital. Although Emperor Yongde is putting up a stubborn resistance, once His Royal Highness's army joins the Prince of Qi, victory will be imminent. Once the Prince of Qi ascends the throne, His Royal Highness, as his only son, will rightfully become the Crown Prince."
Song Zhen picked up his fan as he spoke, "I was born in poverty. I studied diligently since childhood, with lofty ambitions. However, I was repeatedly framed by my colleagues in the officialdom. I finally achieved the position of Governor of Yuzhou, but was demoted. From then on, I realized that no matter how hard I tried, I could not fight against the trend. The only solution was to go with the flow and cling to the powerful."
Shen Yuexi said: "When you swore the oath..."
"I really do." Song Zhen said firmly, "I know what I want. So I am sincere in my loyalty to the Prince of Qi."
"So you came here to kill us?" Shen Yuexi slowly retreated.
"Mrs. Shen, you're worrying too much. Although I'm a man, I'm just like you, weak as a chicken." Song Zhen stood up. "I can't even use a knife, so how can I kill someone?"
Shen Yuexi cautiously kept her distance from him, and watched him walk towards the gate with a bit of surprise. Judging from Song Zhen's posture, he was actually about to leave.
"You..." For a moment she couldn't figure out Song Zhen's intention.
Since this person is not here to kill them, what is he doing here?
Song Zhen turned around, slung his feather fan behind his back, and said, "Madam Shen, there's no need to be suspicious. Although I'm a fence-sitter, I'm not without principles. Xiao Zhuo has treated me well, and I'm here to repay the favor. We'll meet on the battlefield someday and see who's better."
Shen Yuexi's heart moved. From Song Zhen's tone, it seemed that he knew the outcome of the duel between Xiao Zhuo and Ji Zhong in advance.
Even a traitor like Song Zhen has so much confidence in Xiao Zhuo, so what else does she have to worry about?
Song Zhen walked to the gate, turned around and said, "There are some things I won't tell you. Your loyal guard will naturally tell you. I don't want to be seen by Xiao Zhuo. Goodbye."
After watching Song Zhen leave, Shen Yuexi was still worried and followed him from a distance. When she saw him mount his horse and leave at the entrance of Longsheng Town, she felt relieved and hurried back to the inn.
She came to Qianglin and asked, "How are you? Can you speak?"
Qiang Lin looked anxious, shook his head weakly, and moved his fingers slightly twice.
Shen Yuexi saw that he didn't seem to be in pain, but just weak and unable to move. He was probably anxious because he wanted to speak.
There was no rush for these matters. She would discuss them after he replied. She said to Qiang Lin, "Rest here peacefully until the effects of the medicine wear off. I will go get my husband's sword first."
She ran up the stairs, and after a while she ran down again, holding a long sword in her hand, and hurried out the door.
Qiang Lin could not speak or move his hands, and was extremely anxious.
He was not only skilled at tracking, but also at counter-tracking. While on the road, he noticed the cavalry following him from a distance and deliberately took several detours to shake them off. But no matter what he did, it could only delay them temporarily. Now Xiao Beiheng's cavalry could attack at any time. He had to tell Shen Yuexi about this huge danger.
Shen Yuexi was unaware of the danger. She ran hurriedly to the square of Longsheng Town with her sword.
Xiao Zhuo and Ji Zhong were standing there face to face.
Even she, who didn't know swordsmanship, could sense the old man's extraordinary aura from the way he stood. Now she was certain that Xiao Zhuo's overwhelming confidence didn't come from Emperor Yongde, but from this teacher.
Looking at Xiao Zhuo again, the first feeling is that the invincible Xiao Zhuo is back.
Now all Xiao Zhuo lacks is a sword.
"Husband, the sword is coming." She shouted, raising the long sword in her hand with a cold glow.
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